Calvin Veldt

Summary

Have A Seat with Chris Hansen – Calvin Veldt (August 4, 2025)
Podcast Summary

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Overview

In this gripping episode of Have A Seat with Chris Hansen, famed investigative journalist Chris Hansen revisits the high-profile apprehension of Calvin Veldt, a 68-year-old semi-truck driver caught in a 2023 sting operation targeting online child predators in Marquette County, Michigan. Hansen dissects the case with never-before-heard details, including a breakdown of Veldt’s explicit chats, audio from his phone conversations, the on-site confrontation, and an update on Veldt’s legal consequences. The episode not only underscores the relentless nature of predatory behavior but also offers insider commentary on both the psychological aspects of these cases and the broader justice system. The show closes with a listener Q&A about the Jeffrey Epstein case, reflecting Hansen’s ongoing commitment to exposing the truth.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

Introduction: The Scope of the Problem

• Chris Hansen describes his decades of confronting online predators, setting the stage with “I have confronted hundreds of men over two decades. I have been in television for 24 years. I just came to get something to eat. And I have very seldom been at a loss for words.” (00:28)
• Emphasizes diversity among offenders: “Men from all walks of life, a doctor, a teacher, a clergyman.” (00:54)

The Marion County Sting Recap (01:16 - 05:00)

• Hansen shares highlights from a recent six-day sting operation in Marion County, Florida: “41 men, 41 men in 6 days surfaced in this sting.” (01:16)
• Describes the multi-agency cooperation and advanced technology, painting a vivid picture of the operation’s scale and seriousness.

Calvin Veldt’s Case: Lead-up and Evidence (05:00 - 09:46)

• Veldt’s background: 68, long-haul trucker, estranged marriage, stepchildren, registered firearms.
• Graphic, explicit chat logs read out by the decoy (Jess) reveal sexually explicit plans:
  “After he found out I was 15, he said, I would love to fuck the shit out of you. … You make me horny as fuck… if he's driving here, it better be really good pussy.” – Decoy Jess (07:36)
• Hansen candidly reflects on the emotional toll such investigations take on law enforcement decoys:
  “I always feel a little bad for the younger members of the sheriff's offices … but they're professionals and they do it.” (08:03)

The Phone Call: Assessing Intent (08:41 - 11:28)

• Audio of Veldt negotiating with “Jess,” attempting to verify she’s real. He offers money and expresses fear of getting caught:
  • “Can I talk to you first? … I'll give you some money just to talk to you and if I feel comfortable with you.” – Calvin Veldt, posing as cautious but determined (09:50)
  • “You're kind of young, you know, and I don't want to go to jail.” – Calvin Veldt (10:12)
• Hansen observes Veldt’s dangerous potential:
  “He's old, but he's dangerous. Make no mistake. And what if we aren't there? … What if he's got one of his guns?” (11:28)

The Confrontation in the Sting House (12:31 - 17:23)

• Veldt arrives, greeted by Jess, and sits casually before Hansen enters and confronts him.
• Attempts to play innocent, repeatedly denies intent:
  “I knew this was a scam.” – Calvin Veldt (14:10)
  “I didn't want nothing to do with this.” (14:20)
• Hansen systematically dismantles Veldt’s justifications, highlighting the contradictions:
  “But why even come over here if she says she's 15?” (19:59)

The Bribe Attempt: A First in ‘To Catch a Predator’ (21:02 - 22:08)

• Veldt tries, uniquely, to buy his way out:
  “How much is it gonna cost me to just walk away from this?” – Calvin Veldt (22:00)
  “Can I just give you some money and leave?” (22:05)
• Hansen delivers a memorable rebuke:
  “I don't want money. I want the truth.” (22:08)

Rationalizations and Personal Details (22:37 - 24:42)

• Veldt blames the decoy for “talking him into it,” attempts to minimize seriousness.
• Claims loneliness, a distant marriage (“I haven’t had nothing to do with my wife for probably seven or eight years.” – Calvin Veldt, 23:30), and insists he just wanted to talk.
• Chris presses further about what would have happened had the decoy really been 15 and alone.

Aftermath and Legal Consequences (24:54 - 27:23)

• Hansen reveals Veldt’s arrest, charges, and plea agreement for child sexually abusive activity:
  • Five years probation, registered sex offender. No prior or subsequent trouble with law.
  • “Ultimately, he bonded out and entered into a plea agreement where he pleaded guilty to one count of child sexually abusive activity.” (25:25)

Weekly Truthfinder Update (27:23 - 28:11)

• Partners with truthfinder.com to deliver updates about Calvin’s status; he remains in northern Michigan, no further offenses.

Listener Q&A: The Epstein Files (28:11 - 34:13)

• Listener Coulter asks Hansen’s thoughts on the Epstein files, potential cover-ups, and impact on victims.
• Hansen details his past attempts to investigate the case and emphasizes the complexities of evidence disclosure, ongoing investigations, and the importance of responsible journalism:
  • “I think a couple of things. One, there may not be one single case file or client list. I think there's a lot of evidence. There was evidence taken from Epstein's safe …” (31:25)
• Commits to continued inquiry and transparency:
  • “I'll stay on it. I'll let you know what's in this envelope across my desk here. … I will let you know here on Takedown with Chris Hansen, my streaming crime network … If it rises to that level, you can find me all over social media.” (33:42)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Hansen on the bribe attempt:
  “I don't want money. I want the truth.” — Chris Hansen (22:08)
• Veldt’s rationale, shifting blame:
  “Well, it ain't all her fault, but a lot of it's her fault.” — Calvin Veldt (22:51)
• Confronting denial:
  “Way too young? She told you she was 15.” — Chris Hansen (19:45)
• On the fallout for offenders’ families:
  “She's not gonna be very happy. Ain't gonna be very happy, Calvin. I can predict that's true.” — Chris Hansen (23:59)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:28 – Hansen’s introduction and scope of the problem.
• 01:16 – Recap of Marion County, FL sting.
• 07:36 – Decoy reads Calvin’s explicit chat messages.
• 08:41 – Calvin’s phone call with decoy Jess.
• 10:12 – Calvin expresses fear of jail.
• 12:31 – Veldt’s arrival at the sting house.
• 14:10 – Initial confrontation: “I knew this was a scam.”
• 21:02 – Bribe attempt: “How much is it gonna cost me…?”
• 24:28 – Questions about marriage, family, and consequences.
• 25:25 – Arrest and legal aftermath.
• 27:23 – Truthfinder update on Veldt.
• 28:11 – Listener Q&A about the Epstein files.
• 33:42 – Hansen pledges ongoing investigation and transparency.

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Closing Thoughts

Hansen’s methodical grilling of Veldt exposes the predictable pattern of denial, rationalization, and shifting blame among predators, while his signature “I want the truth” line encapsulates his uncompromising pursuit of justice. The episode offers listeners a behind-the-scenes look at both the operational and psychological aspects of sting operations and reinforces why such diligence is necessary in the ongoing fight against child exploitation. The post-episode Q&A demonstrates Hansen’s reach beyond stings, keeping public attention on accountability for predators at all levels of society.

Transcript

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[Chris Hansen]

I've confronted hundreds of men over two decades. I have been in television for 24 years. I just came to get something to eat. And I have very seldom been at a loss for words. I just came to get something to eat. Men online looking for children to sexually assault. What's the motive here?

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

Explain to me.

[Chris Hansen]

I don't.

[Calvin Veldt]

No, you're right.

[Chris Hansen]

No, you're right. It's stupid. It's an illegal thing.

[Calvin Veldt]

Yeah, I know.

[Chris Hansen]

I did a stupid thing. Men from all walks of life, a doctor, a teacher, a clergyman. You sent pornographic pictures through the mail. Okay, that's a federal offense right there.

[Calvin Veldt]

You know I'm in trouble and I know I'm in trouble.

[Chris Hansen]

I tried to get into their heads and understand why. Pizza we have tonight.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

I want to know who you are.

[Chris Hansen]

I want to know a little bit more about you first.

[Decoy (Jess)]

Can I eat first?

[Chris Hansen]

Sure, go ahead. Let's see if any of this sounds familiar. While you enjoy your pizza and ultimately make sure they face justice. You ask her if she's a virgin?

[Calvin Veldt]

I ask everybody all kinds of stuff.

[Chris Hansen]

It's just talk. You ask her if she's horny, what's wrong with that? You ask if she does anal. It's a question.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

Question.

[Chris Hansen]

Who are they? Have they tried to prey on other children? And where are they now? These are the predators I've caught. I'm Chris Hansen. I'm just back from a six day predator sting in Marion County, Florida. Listen to this. 41 men, 41 men in 6 days surfaced in this sting. If you don't know where Marion county is, it's in Central Florida. 45 minutes or so from Gainesville. Ocala is the biggest city. An hour from Orlando, an hour 45 from Tampa. And Marion county is very diverse agriculture, big horse country. A lot of money there when it comes to horses. Whole shows, horse breeding, but also a very professional sheriff's office. It was a great team. Homeland Security was involved. Florida Highway Patrol, they had more than a dozen chatters working at any given time. Florida Highway Patrol had their airplane up. An amazing million dollar camera that we used for surveillance. These episodes will be coming up in the next several weeks on True blue, my streaming crime network. The takedown episodes. We had about six illegal immigrants. We had men from all walks of life, all ages, all ethnicities. A grad student from university of Florida that caused a little bit of a controversy. You'll hear about that very soon. A guy who had five children at home, one of whom was the same age of the girl he was trying to meet for sex. Unbelievable. And almost without exception, they all talk to me. It's very compelling and very scary. But when I Look at all 41 of those alleged predators and then the hundreds of others I've caught over the years, There is only one who I can remember who tried to bribe me to get out of his jam. You might remember this fellow, Calvin veldt. Calvin was 68 years old when he showed up in our sting in Marquette county, Michigan in the late summer of 2023. Calvin was a long haul semi truck driver. He lived in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, but was in the area of Marquette county getting some parts for his trucks. Old Calvin got online and started chatting with someone who told him she was 15 years old. It was actually a decoy going by the name of Jess. And she worked for the Marquette county sheriff's office led by sheriff Craig Zer. Great team there as well. We've done two streams with him now. So Calvin reaches out to Jess and has a very straightforward graphic chat. Calvin's a married fellow, but told me later he technically has had nothing to do with his wife for like eight years. No kids of his own, but five stepchildren. We also learned the sheriff's office did, through its background check that Calvin had a registered.40 caliber and a.22 caliber handgun. So that put us a little bit on edge before he arrived. The chat, as I mentioned, was graphic. He was nervous. He acknowledged the girl's age. He said he didn't want to get in trouble. And you'll hear a phone call between Calvin and the decoy in just a moment here, as well as the decoy telling us exactly what he said in the chat. Things like, I would love to the shit out of you. You sound young. He said the decoy made him horny. And then he says, if I drive this far, it better be good pussy. He talks about making her squirt, licking her butt. It goes on and on. You'll hear it all. There was no way that he was just probing. He would tell me later, and you'll hear this too, that this was his first Time ever chatting with somebody about sex and then showing up. I don't know. I'll let you guys be the judge, but it sounds like Calvin had been down this road before. Calvin shows up in the afternoon. A beautiful day in northern Michigan. Bluebird sky. He's an older fellow, moves a little slow, not in the best of physical shape. And we're all watching as he pulls into the driveway of our Sting House residential unit on a former air force base in Gwyn, Michigan. Listen as the decoy, Jess fills me in on the texting conversation. The decoy, who's been blurred for her safety, gives me a rundown of the chat so far. And the man is very detailed as to what he wants to do to her.

[Decoy (Jess)]

After he found out I was 15, he said, I would love to fuck the shit out of you. You sound young. Do you swallow? How long are you there for? I like the way you talk. You make me horny as fuck. He's in Gladstone currently, but if he's driving here, it better be really good pussy. And then he said, boy, you are a horny little bitch, ain't you? And then he's, like, talking about wanting to make me squirt and licking my butt.

[Chris Hansen]

I always feel a little bad for the younger members of the sheriff's offices, police departments with which we work. It's not easy for some of these young people to relate these discussions, but they're professionals and they do it. I also try to balance in this podcast, you know, how graphic should I get? And I hear over and over again from all of you that, you know, you want to hear all the details. So here we go. Next, there's a phone conversation. Calvin wants to make sure the girl is real.

[Decoy (Jess)]

Hello.

Hello.

How are you?

I'm great. How are you?

Not too bad, not too bad.

Would you want to come meet me?

Can I talk to you first?

Yeah, we can talk.

[Chris Hansen]

Can I talk to you first now? Later he'll tell me all he wanted to do was talk, but I think you'll agree he had more on his mind than that.

[Decoy (Jess)]

Okay. Where are you at, hon?

I'm just at my house.

Okay, I'm just coming up to you there.

You're in the area in Gwyn now?

Yeah.

[Chris Hansen]

Turns out although he lives in Sault Ste. Marie, he's very close. So this indicates to me that he's away from home. He's got an excuse because he was supposed to get parts for one of his trucks, and he's got time to lurk on some of these sites to Find somebody with whom to have sex. In this case, someone underage.

[Decoy (Jess)]

Oh, perfect. Would you want to swing by?

Yeah. You know, I'd like to talk to you anyway. I'll give you some money just to talk to you and if I feel comfortable with you.

Okay. Well, is that something you'd want to do?

I'd like to, but I don't want to. I don't want to get in trouble.

Sweetie, you won't get in trouble.

You sure?

I promise.

Because you're kind of young, you know, and I don't want to go to jail.

[Chris Hansen]

You're kind of young, you know, and I don't want to go to jail. That's exactly where you're going. Calvin.

[Decoy (Jess)]

There's nobody here. There's nobody. My uncle's out of town right now.

If I feel comfortable with you, sweetie, I'll give you 150. You know, if I feel comfortable, I'll have a field day with you. But I don't feel comfortable.

[Chris Hansen]

That's right. It's all about Calvin. Calvin's gotta feel comfortable. He doesn't want to get in trouble. He doesn't want to go to jail. He just wants to feel comfortable. And in order to do so, he's going to go visit this 15 year old girl he thinks is home alone. A child. He's gonna give her $150 if it all goes well and have a field day. His words with a child.

[Decoy (Jess)]

And how are you feeling with this phone call? Do you feel comfortable with me?

I'm starting to, yeah.

Can I give you my address and you can head over if I can find you?

Yeah. I told you I was old, didn't I?

Yeah. I'll text you and I'll send you the address, actually.

Okay.

Okay. See you soon.

[Chris Hansen]

He's old, but he's dangerous. Make no mistake. And what if we aren't there? What if old Calvin shows up? What if he's got one of his guns? What if things don't go his way? All of this is racing through our minds. Mine, my crews, the Marquette County Sheriff's team. All of it as we see him pull up in his goldish colored sedan. More about this predator I've caught in a moment.

[Decoy (Jess)]

So good, so good, so good.

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[Chris Hansen]

He gets out, is moving kind of slow, and walks to the front door. He slowly saunters his way to the door where the decoy greets him.

[Decoy (Jess)]

Hi. Hi.

How are you?

[Calvin Veldt]

Good.

[Decoy (Jess)]

How are you?

What's your name?

[Calvin Veldt]

Calvin.

[Decoy (Jess)]

Calvin, I'm Jess. Were you Jess?

[Calvin Veldt]

Jess.

[Decoy (Jess)]

Yep. You can take a seat on the couch. Sorry, it's a little messy in here.

[Chris Hansen]

That's all right. Calvin lumbers over to the couch to take a seat.

[Decoy (Jess)]

So what brings you a Sawyer?

[Calvin Veldt]

What would ask him how this morning?

[Decoy (Jess)]

Escanaba.

[Chris Hansen]

He plops himself down on the couch, makes himself right at home. The decoy stays standing, continues the conversation.

[Decoy (Jess)]

What brings you to Glut or Escanaba?

[Calvin Veldt]

I had to go pick up some ribs for one of my trucks.

[Decoy (Jess)]

Oh, okay. You got a lot of trucks?

[Calvin Veldt]

No, just a few more.

[Chris Hansen]

Oh, okay. He explains he's got two trucks and had to pick up some rims for them. I guess he just thought he'd stop by to sexually exploit a child while running his errands.

[Decoy (Jess)]

Well, my phone's about to die, so I'm gonna go put it on the charger. Upstairs, quick.

[Chris Hansen]

The decoy says she's gotta go upstairs and put her phone on the charger. Calvin seems fine with that, doesn't seem particularly nervous. Just stays on the couch. The decoy leaves. And now it's time for me to sit down and have a discussion with Kellen.

[Decoy (Jess)]

How you doing? Good. How are you?

[Chris Hansen]

Good. What's happening?

[Decoy (Jess)]

Not much.

[Calvin Veldt]

Find the place.

[Chris Hansen]

Okay.

[Calvin Veldt]

I knew this was a scam.

[Chris Hansen]

I knew this was a scam. Then why did you show up? You knew it was a scam?

[Calvin Veldt]

Yeah.

[Chris Hansen]

What kind of a scam?

[Calvin Veldt]

Well, I didn't want nothing to do with this.

[Chris Hansen]

I didn't want nothing to do with this. So now Calvin's gonna backpedal to put his truck in reverse, try to back on out of here. Not so fast. You don't want nothing to do with. What?

[Calvin Veldt]

Her.

[Chris Hansen]

With her?

[Calvin Veldt]

Yeah.

[Chris Hansen]

Who's her?

[Calvin Veldt]

That girl that just went upstairs.

[Chris Hansen]

That girl that just went upstairs. And how did you meet this girl who just went upstairs?

[Calvin Veldt]

I was talking to her on the phone.

[Chris Hansen]

On the phone. You're gonna have to stay put right there, though. I don't want you moving around too much.

[Decoy (Jess)]

Okay.

[Chris Hansen]

Now, Calvin, as best he can, appears to try to bust a move. He thrusts himself up off the couch. Doesn't quite make it all the way, but he's moving that way. And I'm thinking He's going to try and walk on out of there and I tell him to stay put. Keep your hands where I can see him.

[Calvin Veldt]

All right.

[Chris Hansen]

What's your name?

[Calvin Veldt]

Calvin.

[Chris Hansen]

Calvin. And how old are you, Calvin?

[Calvin Veldt]

68.

[Chris Hansen]

68. What is a 68 year old man doing here?

[Calvin Veldt]

I was coming through here and I just was on my way home.

[Chris Hansen]

Yeah. Now he's going to tell me everything I don't need to know. Logistics. And what were you doing in the area?

[Calvin Veldt]

I was in Escanaba.

[Chris Hansen]

In Escanaba? What were you doing in Escanaba?

[Calvin Veldt]

Picking up some parts.

[Chris Hansen]

Some parts for what? Now, I'm willing to let him talk because he doesn't appear to be able or willing or inclined at this point to try to run out of there. Even though he's got two guns registered to him. I can't see any. And it doesn't appear he's got one hidden on his body. So I've got the green light to spend as much time as I want getting inside the mind of Calvin.

[Calvin Veldt]

My truck.

[Chris Hansen]

Your truck. And what do you do for a living, Calvin?

[Calvin Veldt]

Drive truck.

[Chris Hansen]

You drive trucks? What kind of trucks?

[Calvin Veldt]

Semi trucks.

[Chris Hansen]

Semi trucks. And were you driving a semi truck today?

[Calvin Veldt]

No.

[Chris Hansen]

You were just picking up parts for the truck? And how did you know to come here to this house to meet a 15 year old girl?

[Calvin Veldt]

Because she gave me the address.

[Chris Hansen]

She gave you the address? How did you first make contact with this girl?

[Calvin Veldt]

Well, I was talking to her on the site.

[Chris Hansen]

On the site? And what site was this?

[Calvin Veldt]

You know what, can I just leave here?

[Chris Hansen]

We'll get to that in a minute. Now, Calvin's pretty touchy about the site he was on. It was obviously a site where men go to find women for sex. I'm guessing at 68 years old, Calvin just didn't figure this out on this particular day. But he gets touchy about this. He wants to just go. He hasn't really had sex with the girl yet. But Calvin, whether he knows it or not, has already broken the law. But I do. We need to chat first.

[Calvin Veldt]

I don't want nothing to do with this, okay?

[Chris Hansen]

I don't want nothing to do with this. Well, of course you don't want nothing to do with it. Now, Calvin, you've been caught. He's still trying to figure out exactly who I am. The police, the sheriffs. I don't think he's seen my shows before. I'm pretty sure at this point.

[Calvin Veldt]

And I asked her and I asked her and I asked her and I asked her.

[Chris Hansen]

Just stay Put there. You also say to her that you make me horny as fuck. You said that in the chat.

[Calvin Veldt]

Right. And I got it on my phone too.

[Chris Hansen]

What she said, right? You say I love to the out of you. You worry about her age. You want to make sure she's home. Alvin.

[Calvin Veldt]

Calvin. I can't believe this.

[Chris Hansen]

Calvin's going to try to bust a move again. He gets to the edge of the couch this time.

[Calvin Veldt]

I knew.

[Chris Hansen]

You can't believe it?

[Calvin Veldt]

I knew, I knew and I had a bad feeling right from the get go.

[Chris Hansen]

What gave you a bad feeling, Calvin?

[Calvin Veldt]

Well, she told me she was 15, right?

[Decoy (Jess)]

Maybe.

[Calvin Veldt]

Sounded like she was a lot older.

[Chris Hansen]

Oh, really? She sounds like a little girl to me. Have you done this before? Have you met other people on this app?

[Decoy (Jess)]

No.

[Chris Hansen]

That's right. Calvin claims this was the very first time he's ever met anybody on the app. If what you've heard shocks you so far, join us. Back in a moment.

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[Chris Hansen]

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[Chris Hansen]

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[Chris Hansen]

So just today, driving from Escanaba to get parts for your semi truck, you just decided to pop in for the very first time in your 68 years on this planet to meet a 15 year old girl for sex. Did you bring condoms?

[Calvin Veldt]

I'm not gonna touch her. I never intended to touch her.

[Chris Hansen]

Well, then why are you here after all the sex talk?

[Calvin Veldt]

I told her I wanted to talk to her.

[Chris Hansen]

Yeah, and then have sex. If the talk went okay. I was listening to the phone call. I listened to the phone call and I have the chat log. So lying is not going to work for you.

[Calvin Veldt]

Okay, but I.

[Chris Hansen]

So you must just tell me the exact truth.

[Calvin Veldt]

I would want to talk to her.

[Chris Hansen]

You want to talk to her. And if that went okay, what was going to happen?

[Calvin Veldt]

Probably nothing, because I already. When I walked in the door, I knew she was way too young.

[Chris Hansen]

Way too young? She told you she was 15.

[Calvin Veldt]

Yeah, but they tell you that all the time.

[Chris Hansen]

Well, Calvin, if this is your first time on that site, how did you know that? They tell you that all the time. Okay, so maybe it's true that she's 15. Yeah, if she's telling you that.

[Calvin Veldt]

As soon as I seen her, I knew that.

[Chris Hansen]

But why even come over here if she says she's 15?

[Calvin Veldt]

Because the way she was talking to me, I figured she was older than what she had.

[Chris Hansen]

But she said 15, right?

[Calvin Veldt]

She said she was 50.

[Chris Hansen]

So why would you think that she

[Calvin Veldt]

was older Just by the way she was talking?

[Chris Hansen]

By the way she was talking. And what about the way you were talking?

[Calvin Veldt]

Well, I talked to her like she was talking to me.

[Chris Hansen]

You talk about making her squirt, getting in her butt. It doesn't sound like you're a first time offender here.

[Calvin Veldt]

I'm not even. I don't even have. I never have. I haven't had sex in 15 years.

[Chris Hansen]

15 years tells me he hasn't had sex in 15 years, then gets into some more detail about how maybe he couldn't even have sex and that he didn't even bring an ED drug medicine with him. So today you just decided it was time to have sex with.

[Calvin Veldt]

I wanted to talk to her. I never had no intention of touching her.

[Chris Hansen]

But that's not what it says in the conversation, Calvin.

[Calvin Veldt]

That ain't what she said to me either.

[Chris Hansen]

It doesn't matter what she said. What matters is what you said. That's right, Calvin. It matters what you said. Because by conducting a sexually suggestive conversation like you did online is the solicitation of a minor. It's child sexually abusive activity. Wait for this. A predator investigation first. A takedown first. It never happened. That I can remember. And To Catch a Predator, he wants to know how much it's going to cost. Calvin does to get out of this. As if he could give me $150 or any amount of money to get out of this jam. He's trying to bribe me. Now, again, I don't think he understands whether I'm the mad dad, the uncle, or law enforcement. But as he's about to find out, no amount of money is going to get him out of this jam.

[Calvin Veldt]

How much is it gonna cost me to just walk away from this?

[Chris Hansen]

What do you mean, how much is it gonna cost you?

[Calvin Veldt]

Can I just give you some money and leave?

[Chris Hansen]

I don't want money. I want the truth. Now that might be one of my top 10 favorite lines to ever come out of my mouth in 21 years. Of catching these guys, exposing these guys. I don't want the money. I want the truth. I want to know why a 68 year old man would come in here to have sex with a 15 year old girl. That's what I want to know pretty much.

[Calvin Veldt]

Because she tried to talk. She taught me.

[Chris Hansen]

She taught. So it's her fault then? Now it's blame the victim? She talked me into it. Well, that's not how it went down, Calvin. We watched it. We watched the commission of a felony in real time.

[Calvin Veldt]

Well, it ain't all her fault, but it's a lot of it's her fault.

[Chris Hansen]

Why would you even engage in the conversation? You're a grown ass man, right? Do you have any weapons on you?

[Calvin Veldt]

No.

[Chris Hansen]

Okay. Did you bring any drugs? Viagra?

[Decoy (Jess)]

No.

[Calvin Veldt]

Nothing. I can't even get hurt.

[Chris Hansen]

Then why do you even come here?

[Calvin Veldt]

Because I wanted to talk to somebody.

[Chris Hansen]

Talk to somebody? There's nobody in your local pub or coffee shop you can talk to?

[Calvin Veldt]

I work. I work. I don't even get a chance to go and there ain't nothing there. So.

[Chris Hansen]

Just a lonely guy.

[Calvin Veldt]

Right. Okay. Do you have.

[Chris Hansen]

Are you married?

[Calvin Veldt]

Well, distant marriage. Yeah.

[Chris Hansen]

Distant married. What does distant marriage mean?

[Calvin Veldt]

Well, I haven't had nothing to do with my wife for probably seven or eight years.

[Chris Hansen]

Seven or eight years. I'm guessing his distant wife is going to feel differently about all this. And where does your wife live?

[Calvin Veldt]

She lives in the house.

[Chris Hansen]

In the house. But you don't have sex? No. Living in the same house is not really that great of a distance. I'm guessing. And does your wife know you're here today trying to. To try to meet a 15 year old girl?

[Calvin Veldt]

No.

[Chris Hansen]

What's she gonna say about that?

[Calvin Veldt]

She probably ain't gonna be very happy.

[Chris Hansen]

She's not gonna be very happy. Ain't gonna be very happy, Calvin. I can predict that's true.

[Calvin Veldt]

That's why I just wanted. I just wanted.

[Chris Hansen]

Now he folds his arms and leans back into the comfort of the couch. Says he just wants to go home. I'm sure you do, Calvin. But before you go home, gotta check off a few things on the list of the Marquette County Sheriff's office. Do you have kids?

[Calvin Veldt]

She's got four kids.

[Chris Hansen]

She's got four kids.

[Calvin Veldt]

I don't have any kids. Never have had any.

[Chris Hansen]

Yeah, but I've got one more question for him. So what would have happened, Calvin, if we weren't here and this girl was willing to.

[Calvin Veldt]

I was gonna leave when I seen him.

[Chris Hansen]

Okay, well, let's just Say you sit down on the couch like you did and she comes down wearing her panties and nothing but a bra. You're gonna get into that, you're going to take your pants off, you're going to have a little sex. You going to let her touch you?

[Calvin Veldt]

I didn't.

[Chris Hansen]

And now it's time for Calvin to learn who I am. So, Calvin, here's something you need to know. I'm Chris Hansen. I'm a reporter and I do stories on men who try to prey on children for sex. And this is a show called Takedown. And if there's anything else you want to say, now is the time to say it. And if not, there's some folks here who want to talk to you.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

Police department.

[Decoy (Jess)]

Police department.

[Chris Hansen]

You go ahead and stand up for me. Calvin will not be able to buy his way out of this one. All right, I gotta put some handcuffs on you right now, and then I'll explain what's going on, okay? Oh, my God. Says Calvin. Need another set, Chris? Yeah, they put him in cups without incident. I had a bad feeling about this. He reiterates. Sad now, isn't he? A 68 year old man said he had a bad feeling like so many of these other guys who show up in these stings, yet he shows up anyway. He was given numerous opportunities to turn around to say, bye. I'm not going to do this. He sure didn't seem that nervous when he saw the decoy on site. And now Calvin's going to pay the consequences. Calvin was charged with crimes associated with his cat and arriving at the sting house. Ultimately, he bonded out and entered into a plea agreement where he pleaded guilty to one count of child sexually abusive activity. He was put on five years probation and has to register as a sex offender. Curious about where Calvin is today? So are we. And that's why we partnered with truthfinder.com to track down predators we've busted over the years and give you the facts on their past and the scoop on what's happened to them after our show. This is your weekly Truth Finder update brought to you by our [e-mail] we found Calvin on Truthfinder and as I mentioned earlier, we knew he entered into a plea agreement and was given five years probation. The Truth Finder search indicates that Calvin has not been in trouble with the law prior and has not been in trouble with the law since his arrest in August of 23. He still lives in Northern Michigan. To get the answers you're looking for and to discover information on potential predators, go to truthfinder.com and also follow our weekly truth finder Predator update to see what we can uncover next. More of our story in a moment.

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This episode is brought to you by Starbucks.

[Calvin Veldt]

That is fire.

[Chris Hansen]

Whoa, that's good. This might be the drink of the summer. Okay, I like this. I'm rocking with it.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

Okay, try it for yourself. Starbucks refreshers concentrates are coming home. Find them in the coffee aisle and make it yours.

[Chris Hansen]

As you know, I like to hear from you. And this week's very timely question comes from Coulter. A longtime avid listener, Coulter says, I listen to your podcast and watch Takedown religiously. It's appointment television in my household because I consider the work you are doing so crucial not only to our youth, but our national security. I appreciate that. With that being said, I have been dying to hear your thoughts on the Epstein files fallout. What do you think may actually be going on behind the scenes? Who do you think might be implicated and why it looks so much like a cover up? My heart breaks for the countless victims who have had their story politicized and now possibly even dismissed as a hoax. You seem like a no nonsense, apolitical person, especially when it comes to seeking justice. Thank you for that. I try justice for victims of sexual assault, so I would love to hear your thoughts. Anyway, thank you for your decades of dedication to this worthy cause. You know, Colter, it's interesting that you bring that up. I continue to work on the Epstein story. I started to look into it 10 years ago and I was talking to some private investigator groups who were working with lawyers who were interested in seeking justice for victims. So this goes back to about 2015, 2016. And the truth is I tried to figure out a way to put together some sort of a hidden camera sting type investigation to prove what was going on, to take a look at the Epstein situation. And there were so many layers of security, it was so difficult to do that I just got busy with other things. I set it aside and it was the work of others like Julie Brown of the Miami Herald, who were in local news, who kept chipping away and chipping away and chipping away at this story and finally got some of the victim survivors to speak out. And that reporting by Julie Brown and the team at the Miami Herald became in some ways the backbone of the federal prosecution for which Epstein was arrested in 2019. So I continue to prowl around and look at this. I've got an envelope of documents I need to go over sitting on my table. I just received more on that later. I Think a couple of things. One, there may not be one single case file or client list. I think there's a lot of evidence. There was evidence taken from Epstein's safe in Manhattan on the Upper east side. There are pictures, there are videos, there are CDs with evidence. That stuff has never been released. I am led to believe that some fairly significant figures might be portrayed in that evidence. I've not seen it, so I can't tell you for sure. I do think that in the course of the last election, a lot of people involved in the presidential race and supporters of one candidate or another promoted the theory that there's more out there that was being withheld for one reason or another. And I think when you appeal to any conspiratorial minded block of people and you promise things that may or may not be true, they're disappointed when they don't come out. So now there's an uproar. The President has said he had a relationship friendship with Epstein and that he cut that off when he found out Epstein was conducting himself in this way. I have come across no evidence that the President took part in any of this except for being socially friendly with Epstein prior to his criminal charges. I do think that Epstein and his lawyers negotiated a sweetheart deal when he served that year or so in county jail, was able to get out during the day Monday through Friday to go to his office. I mean, that's unheard of. And as you know, there's been a lot of fallout about that. Is there more evidence? Should we see it? Yes, as long as it's, you know, not shaming an innocent person. When they do an investigation like this, the FBI or other federal agencies, you know, they, they haul out a big net and they find out a lot of things, things that might be embarrassing but not criminal. So at what point do you release everything if it's not illegal and it's not evidence in a criminal case? That's what people are weighing now. I'll stay on it. I'll let you know what's in this envelope across my desk here. I think it's mostly information that's been reported, but I'll go through it all and I will let you know here on Takedown with Chris Hansen, my streaming crime network, Fox News and Fox Nation. If it rises to that level, you can find me all over social media. Hrishanson on X Official Chris Hansen on Instagram. Have a seat with Chris Hansen on TikTok cameo should you desire. I gave a speech at the Cameo headquarters this week. What a nice group of folks actually played pickleball with him afterwards, which I'd not played before. Once I got used to it, I was okay. Sore today, but it was a lot of fun. You can always catch me on True Blue. As I mentioned, watch trueblue.com for details. New episodes of Takedown out every Thursday, and as always, you can find me right [e-mail] I'll be watching and listening.

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